Self-cycling redox nanoplatform in synergy with mild magnetothermal and autophagy inhibition for efficient cancer therapy

Magnetic hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related nanocatalytic tumor therapy has received increasing focus due to their no penetration depth limit, tumor-specificity, and non-invasiveness. However, their efficacy is still affected by the intrinsic protective mechanism of cells’ autophagy. Herein, a novel mesoporous magnetic copper ferrite nanoagent (CuFe 2 O 4 NPs) containing autophagy inhibitor chloroquine was developed for the synergistic enhancement of cancer treatment. Specifically, the mesoporous structured CuFe 2 O 4 NPs with high surface area was endowed with highly efficient ROS generation via self-cycling Fenton redox process between Cu 2+ and Fe 3+ . More importantly, the inside autophagy inhibitor chloroquine could efficiently inhibit cancer cells’ resistance to hyperthermia and oxidative stress , realizing mild magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) under 45 °C and preventing from damages to normal tissues. Furthermore, the temperature rise within tumor area further accelerated the Fenton reaction to boost the productivity of hydroxyl radicals ( · OH) for enhancement of chemodynamic therapy (CDT). This work offers a novel strategy of magnetothermal-augmented in-situ self-cycling redox nanocatalysis in synergy with inhibition of autophagy, enlightening a new insight on the design of multifunctional therapeutic nanoagents based on a single component.